Grangetown and Ashbrooke

Grangetown and Ashbrooke - Down Your Way

St Nicholas Church Hall, off Queen Alexandra Road, has been selected as the venue within St Michael's ward for a new scheme which is to begin operating in all wards covered by the council's east area committee. Rooms within the hall will be used as the St Michael's Hub, where people who feel socially isolated can meet, including carers who require support. Room bookings can take place by support-based services to help connect the local community to their services. The scheme is funded by the east area committee and involves local ward Councillor Michael Dixon working with Stephanie Clark, from St Nicholas, and Council Officer Nicol Trueman. The first main meeting to get the scheme underway takes place in the church hall on Wednesday, February 3, from 10.30am to noon, and various organisations have been invited along. Everyone is welcome to call in and for further details, please contact Stephanie Clark at [email protected] or Michael Dixon at cllr. [email protected]

The next meeting of Sunderland Conservative Women’s Organisation will take place tomorrow at the community centre, Stannington Grove, at 2pm. Donald Wood , who has given some very interesting presentations in the past about American Presidents, will this time be giving a talk on the American Presidential Election, which will take place in November of this year. As always, gentlemen and guests are also very welcome to attend, plus any new lady members.

St Michael’s Councillors, Michael Dixon, Margaret Forbes and Peter Wood hold their next ward surgery this Thursday, at the Lower Hall, St John’s Methodist Church, Ashbrooke, from 10am to 11am.

St Michael’s Residents’ Association holds its first meeting of the new year on Wednesday, February 3, at Auckland Homes, Hill View Road, at 6.30pm.

Friends of Backhouse Park and Barley Mow Park met last week. Led by Claire Wayman, members and local residents were joined by St Michael’s Ward Councillors, Michael Dixon and Peter Wood, in addition to Daniel Krzyszczak, from ICOS. Various issues were discussed, including funding support to both parks from local councillors from St Michael’s and Hendon, plus plans for events and work ahead for this year. The next meeting will be in the same venue, the Back on the Map building, Toward Road/Villette Road, on Tuesday, February 9, commencing at 7pm.

Ashmore Residents’ Association held its annual general meeting last week at the British Legion Club, Grange Crescent. Officers re-elected were Liz Griffiths, chairwoman, John Tait, treasurer and Diane Scott-McGrath, secretary. The main topics discussed were the Council’s Community Parking Management Scheme, (CPMS); the new nursery to be opened in Gorse Road and its impact of added traffic in the locality; fly-tipping. In her summary of the year past, Liz Griffiths noted the progress that was being made with the CPMS and thanked residents, her fellow officers and St Michael’s Ward Councillors for their interest and support. Coun Peter Wood, who was joined at the meeting by his ward colleague Michael Dixon, paid tribute to the hard work carried out by the association, and especially by Liz Griffiths in her role as chairwoman. The next meeting is at the same venue, on Wednesday, March 9, commencing 7.30pm.